Akpabio and NDDC
It is already one year since Senator Godswill Akpabio assumed office as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, and we, his friends and political associates, are clinking glasses to toast to his achievements in the last 12 months. It was on August 21 last year that the former governor and 43 other eminent Nigerians were sworn into office as Buhari’s second-term cabinet members.
I congratulate Senator Akpabio on this very auspicious occasion of his first anniversary in office as the fourth minister of the Niger Delta; and I salute him for his single-minded pursuit of the President’s programme in our region.
The planned overhaul and repositioning the NDDC and the completion of the East-West Road are very dear to our people because of their multiplier effects on the socioeconomic conditions of the region.
The NDDC has not lived up to half of its mandate and the expectations of the people. So any opportunity to clean it up and reset it on a better path is welcome by all stakeholders.
The East-West Road is one of the most consequential federal investments in the region. The President’s determination to complete it after such a long delay is commendable.
Senator Akpabio was chosen as minister among others who craved the job with obvious gusto. The competition was so intense that some sponsored negative publications to tarnish him because he was perceived as the undeserving front runner.
However, his personal charisma, roles in upstaging the Saraki rebellion in 2018 and goodwill gave him an edge. But since Akpabio became minister, those who lost out never forgave him. In the snake pit of Nigerian politics, long knives are drawn whenever a winner is named.
No sooner had he assumed office than a huge media firestorm erupted. All sorts of false allegations and personal defamations have been hurled at Akpabio in the last one year, sponsored by some disgruntled persons. Among them are past and current management staff of NDDC, who feel threatened by the forensic audit ordered by the President into the affairs of the commission. They took it personal with the minister, believing that he’s out to get them.
Many others like members of the National Assembly, fraudulent politicians and contractors, who are angered that they had lost their continued flow of patronage at the NDDC also took up arms against the minister. The Deputy Senate President also got involved. He wants to have a foothold in the commission in view of his 2023 governorship ambition. What a congregation of angry mobsters!
Working in concert with one another, these persons launched the most devious campaign of calumny against the minister and the new management of the commission, hoping to get him fired and the interim management disbanded. In my over 30 years in the media, I have never seen such a well-coordinated and massively funded media operation targeted at an individual.
I understand that about N350 million was budgeted for campaign to get Akpabio out. The operation also entailed mobilizing protesters to to riot inform of the NNDC headoffice on Aba Road, PortHarcourt and other locations; mobilization of traditional rulers, students, market women and youths in the 9 NDDC states to create some protests against Akpabio.
The recently-published long list of senators and members of the House of Representatives who benefitted from contract scams at the commission attests to the depth of this conspiracy. But President Buhari’s capacity for deliberation and calmness in the midst of such an uproar has served the nation well. A good leader is not swayed by noises and hysteria, no matter how loud they may be.
Senator Akpabio’s scorecard in the last 12 months has attracted many interests. It is reassuring that he has not disappointed his boss. Under his watch, the NDDC has completed its head office building in Port Harcourt. The project had been under construction for over 20 years. His zeal and energy which propelled him to complete the NDDC building are also needed on the East-West Road. The over 600-kilometer expressway has been abandoned since the Obasanjo administration.
Akpabio is playing a major role in the restarting of the project by the federal government which has set December next year as the completion date. That will just be some months before the Second Niger Bridge is ready for use. With the recent commissioning of the 17-storey NCDB Center in Yenogoa, the rail and many road projects across the nation, President Buhari will be remembered as a truly transformational leader in terms of infrastructure.
In addition to their work in Abuja, cabinet members are expected to perform some political functions in their constituencies to strengthen the party and mobilize the populace for the support of the President and his agenda. On this score, Senator Akpabio has been a great pillar of support for his party in his home state. As members are grieving over the recent death of the State Chairman, they are grateful to the minister for having extended help and succor to him in his sickbed. The minister’s generosity to his folks engenders the wide support he has from the broad spectrum APC members and leaders in the state.
For the remaining portion of the Buhari presidency, Akpabio should realize that his stewardship will continue to be under scrutiny. His esteem is nationwide, but his traducers, among them those who had wined and dined with him in recent years, are unrelenting. They hate his guts and will always fight for his downfall. But he continues to soar in His grace.
My advice is that he should put the persecution and distractions of the last one year behind him and focus on the two major assignments before him. On the political side, he should turn his attention to the fortunes of APC in Akwa Ibom State. The party there requires a lot of reinvigorations and realignment. I call on the other leaders in the party to sheathe their swords and come together. Now that it is apparent that the President has, thankfully, refused to be persuaded by the ‘Crucify Akpabio’ chorus, the ‘crusaders’ can move onto something nobler. Or will they continue to swirl inside their time capsule, looking for another opportunity to create havoc?
